23-letter words containing a, d, h, o

short-tailed shearwater — any of several long-winged seabirds, often used as food, especially Puffinus tenuirostris (short-tailed shearwater) of Australia and Puffinus griseus (sooty shearwater) which breeds in the Southern Hemisphere and winters in the Northern Hemisphere.
snap someone's head off — to cut, wound, or tear with the teeth: She bit the apple greedily. The lion bit his trainer.
sodium tripolyphosphate — a white powder, Na 5 P 3 O 1 0 , used as a water softener, sequestering agent, and food additive.
staggered directorships — a defence against unwelcome takeover bids in which a company resolves that its directors should serve staggered terms of office and that no director can be removed from office without just cause, thus preventing a bidder from controlling the board for some years
steal someone's thunder — to strike, drive, inflict, give forth, etc., with loud noise or violent action.
straight bill of lading — a bill of lading that is issued to a specified consignee for the delivery of the goods and that cannot be endorsed to another party.
take it into one's head — If somebody takes it into their head to do something, especially something strange or foolish, they suddenly decide to do it.
take sth in your stride — In British English, if you take a problem or difficulty in your stride, you deal with it calmly and easily. The American expression is take something in stride.
talk someone's head off — to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking: to talk about poetry.
talk/speak of the devil — People say speak of the devil, or in British English talk of the devil, if someone they have just been talking about appears unexpectedly.
the chamber of deputies — the lower legislative assembly in some parliaments
the data protection act — a United Kingdom act of parliament designed to ensure the proper handling of information stored about individuals on computers and entitling individuals to find out what information is stored about them
the department of state — the United States federal department concerned with foreign policy
the haves and have-nots — the people who are very wealthy and the people who are very poor
the kingdom of lorraine — an early medieval kingdom on the Meuse, Moselle, and Rhine rivers: later a duchy
the whys and wherefores — The whys and wherefores of something are the reasons for it.
thousand and one nights — a collection of Eastern folk tales derived in part from Indian and Persian sources and dating from the 10th century a.d.
throw down the gauntlet — a medieval glove, as of mail or plate, worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand.
to draw the short straw — If you draw the short straw, you are chosen from a number of people to perform a job or duty that you will not enjoy.
to drive a hard bargain — If people drive a hard bargain, they argue with determination in order to achieve a deal which is favourable to themselves.
to fight tooth and nail — If you fight tooth and nail to do something, you do everything you can in order to achieve it. If you fight something tooth and nail, you do everything you can in order to prevent it.
to force someone's hand — If you force someone's hand, you force them to act sooner than they want to, or to act in public when they would prefer to keep their actions secret.
to get ahold of oneself — to force oneself to become calm and sensible after a shock or in a difficult situation
to have a police record — If you say that somebody has a police record, you mean that they have committed a crime or crimes and the police have a record of this.
to have an axe to grind — If someone has an axe to grind, they are doing something for selfish reasons.
to have your hands full — If you have your hands full with something, you are very busy because of it.
to hell in a handbasket — to one's doom
to pass the time of day — If you pass the time of day with someone, you have a short friendly conversation with them.
to see the light of day — If something sees the light of day at a particular time, it comes into existence or is made known to the public at that time.
to shake someone's hand — If you shake someone's hand or shake someone by the hand, you shake hands with them.
trigonal trisoctahedron — a trisoctahedron whose faces are triangles.
turn a cold shoulder to — to treat with disdain; snub
twenty-fourth amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1964, forbidding the use of the poll tax as a requirement for voting in national or U.S. Congressional elections.
unconditional discharge — the release of a defendant without having to spend time on parole or probation
under a gooseberry bush — used humorously in answering children's questions regarding their birth
united church of canada — the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, formed in the 1920s by incorporating some Presbyterians and most Methodists
urea-formaldehyde resin — any of a group of resins formed by the interaction of urea and formaldehyde under conditions that include heat and pH control: used chiefly in the manufacture of buttons, baking enamels, and for making fabrics wrinkle-resistant.
what the doctor ordered — something needed or desired
when the chips are down — a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.
wholly-owned subsidiary — A wholly-owned subsidiary is a company whose shares are all owned by another company.
yellow-headed blackbird — a North American blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, having a yellow head.
yellow-throated warbler — a warbler, Dendroica dominica, of the eastern U.S., having a yellow throat and breast.

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